When Olusoji Fasuba won a silver medal in the 100m at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, Australia, with a time of 10.11 seconds behind Jamaica’s Asafa Powell, not many Nigerians would have believed the country would wait for another 20 years before another Nigerian male sprinter would climb the podium for a Commonwealth Games medal. But with Kanyinsola Ajayi having lowered his season’s best to 9.84 seconds ahead of the final in Glasgow, following consecutive Diamond League wins over reigning world champion, Oblique Seville, many would have bet on Fasuba’s silver being upgraded in Glasgow. A disappointing 9.90 seconds return in the final by the 21-year-old could only earn the country a bronze

Nigeria’s hope of winning a sprint medal at the 2026 Commonwealth Games rested solely on Kanyinsola Ajayi, after emerging as the country’s only finalist from a team of six athletes that competed in the men’s and women’s 100m semi-finals on Tuesday in Glasgow. The Nigerian record holder however could only settle for a bronze medal in the men’s 100m final at the Commonwealth Games clocking 9.90 seconds to finish third, after entering the race as overwhelming favourite.

Cameroon’s Emmanuel Eseme took gold in a Games record 9.83 seconds, while Australia’s Lachlan Kennedy claimed silver in 9.85 seconds.

Ajayi’s time however took him to the podium of the Commonwealth Games 20 years after Olusoji Fasuba last won a silver medal at the 2006 edition in Melbourne, Australia.

Just five years ago, Kanyinsola Ajayi was playing football in Ikorodu, Lagos, Nigeria, dreaming of a future in sport. Today, the 21-year-old track sensation is one of the fastest men in the world over 100m.

In a meteoric rise, Ajayi has established himself as one of the most exciting young names in…